Conifer retention and hardwood management affect harvest volume and carbon storage in Douglas-fir/tanoak

John-Pascal Berrill, Kevin Boston

Abstract


Modern forest management involves tradeoffs between harvest intensity and carbon storage in live trees. A key component is how non-merchantable tree species are treated. We simulated forest growth and yield over a century of multiaged management in a mixed stand in northern California. Pre-treatment basal area comprised 136 ft2 ac-1 (31 m2 ha-1) non-merchantable hardwood and 73 ft2 ac-1 (17 m2 ha-1) merchantable conifer. Individual-tree selection harvest was simulated for various conifer BA retention levels at 20-year harvest return intervals. Silvicultural prescriptions promoted conifer dominance by retaining only 5 ft2 ac-1 (1.1 m2 ha-1) hardwood BA at each harvest. Alternatively, retaining 50% of hardwood BA at each harvest slowed the conversion to conifer dominance. Higher BA retention favored per-acre growth and storage of carbon in live trees. Cutting more heavily sacrificed per-acre wood volume growth, but sizeable early conifer harvests ensued. The FORSEE growth and yield model did not predict expected positive responses of conifer tree growth to treatments that eliminated hardwoods, suggesting it may not adequately simulate benefits of hardwood management. Therefore, our projections of growth and harvest yield should be regarded as conservative when evaluating forest restoration and management options in terms of growth, yield, and carbon dynamics.     


Keywords


Carbon Sequestration; Forest Carbon; FORSEE; Hardwood Sprouting; Multiaged Management; Partial Harvesting, Uneven-aged Silviculture, Variable Retention.

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References


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